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<title>How Galahdians Learn to Braid by lucianlibrarian</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23454574">How Galahdians Learn to Braid</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucianlibrarian/pseuds/lucianlibrarian'>lucianlibrarian</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Braids, Culture, Family Bonding, Gen, Hair Braiding, Poetry, Religious Imagery &amp; Symbolism, War</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 14:49:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>135</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23454574</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucianlibrarian/pseuds/lucianlibrarian</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nyx reflects on the meaning of his braids.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>NaPoWriMo 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>How Galahdians Learn to Braid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/notthelasttime/gifts">notthelasttime</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>What's this? Something *not* IgNoct? STOP THE PRESSES! Blame <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/notthelasttime">notthelasttime</a>, who requested a Nyx poem. Here we go!</p><p>This is poem #2 in my NaPoWriMo 2020 project.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By touch. By fire.<br/>
With our hands.<br/>
With dry hair,<br/>
finger-combed<br/>
&amp; cleansed<br/>
of ichor &amp; ash.<br/>
With our fathers<br/>
&amp; mothers. With<br/>
chosen families.<br/>
We always find<span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br/>
</span>someone to teach<br/>
us all the plaits.<br/>
The day-to-days.<br/>
The sacred braids.<br/>
At dawn, alone.<br/>
At dawn, with<br/>
the infantry. Crack<br/>
the knuckles. Locks<br/>
around the knuckles.<br/>
Cross. Twine. Secure.<br/>
Like war. Like falling<br/>
in love. Closer. It hangs.<br/>
Closer. It falls. Calendars.<br/>
The wheel of the year.<br/>
Time tied to our scalps<br/>
so we never forget<br/>
when we are. Except<br/>
I always forget. I let<br/>
my braids hang close<br/>
to my ears. The beads<br/>
that tip them tick like<br/>
a clock out of control.<br/>
And the people call me<br/>
hero. They call me hero.<br/>
They call me &amp; call me &amp;<br/>
don’t know I only hear<br/>
the echo <em>here here here.</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/lucianlibrarian">@lucianlibrarian</a><br/>Discord: starryfox#7213</p></blockquote></div></div>
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